Most child-resistant packaging relies on locking mechanisms with a release mechanism that requires adult skills, such as cognitive thought, strength, and/or dexterity, to access the contents of the package. However, release mechanisms that require strength may make the package inaccessible by older adults. Additionally, release mechanisms that require cognitive thought or dexterity may be triggered accidentally by a child.
Associated locking and release mechanisms are particularly useful in packages that utilize inserts. For example, many medicines are packaged in blister cards that are inserted in a sleeve and secured in the sleeve by a locking mechanism. Such blister cards have bubbles formed from a plastic sheet wherein the bubbles are sealed by a paper layer or foil. The paper layer or foil is punctured or ruptured as a typical means of releasing one dose from a corresponding bubble. Generally, when the release mechanism for the locking mechanism is triggered, the inserted blister card can be partially or fully removed from the sleeve so that the contents of the package are partially or fully exposed.
There remains in the art a need for packaging that is increasingly child-resistant, especially where the contents can be exposed when the release mechanism of a package is triggered.